Tuesday, May 03, 2016

State Expects To Begin Right Of Way Acquisition In 2018 For U.S. 441 Widening In Oconee County

Schedule Announced

The Georgia Department of Transportation expects to begin purchasing right of way for the widening of U.S. 441 from the Watkinsville bypass to the Madison bypass in the summer of 2018, representatives of the state agency told a gathering of about 50 citizens last Thursday night.

GDOT plans to let the project for construction in the spring of 2021, the state highway officials told the group, which included the eight members of a Sounding Board appointed by the Oconee County Board of Commissioners to provide citizen involvement in the project.

Albert Shelby III, state program delivery engineer with GDOT, who did most of the talking at the meeting, stated repeatedly that no route has been determined for the roadway, which likely will include a bypass of Bishop. Shelby said the examination of options is starting with the current roadway.

According to a fact sheet Shelby and his colleagues distributed at the meeting, the state is expecting to release a revised concept plan for the roadway next summer and to have preliminary plans completed in the spring of 2018.

Little New Ground

Bill Douglas, a member of the Sounding Board, said at the outset of the meeting that he had asked GDOT to meet with local citizens to give an update on developments that have transpired since the last meeting of the Sounding Board in December.

Shelby said he had little new to report, and he spent much of the nearly 75-minute-long meeting restating that point.

Shelby said that it was unusual for citizens to be so involved in a road project this early in the process and that, under normal plans, it would not be until the spring of next year that he would reach out to the community for input on plans for the road through appointment of a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).

The video clip below, from late in the meeting, gives a sense of the session. Shelby begins by responding to a question from Del Finco on the archaeological impact research being conducted and then responds to a follow-up question from Carole Ludwig.

Both Finco and Ludwig own farms on the eastern side of Bishop that could be affected by the bypass of Bishop.

1 comment:

Zippity
said...

I wish this citizen group would start with signs saying "Save Our Farms" like the anti-sewer line people have done. We really need a route like Russ Page has proposed that bypasses Bishop, but preserves as many farms as possible.

My Standards for Oconee County Observations

This is a news blog, following in the established tradition of the newsletter.

I'm a citizen of Oconee County. My experiences and aspirations for the county have influence on what I post here.

I strive to be accurate, fair and transparent.

I want to reflect events and discussions, using links to document what is known.

I want to offer a balanced presentation that recognizes different points of view and portrays the people involved with respect.

I want to tell how I learned what I have learned and be clear about any role I have played in what is being presented.

Comments are encouraged. I attempt to apply the standards of accuracy, fairness and transparency to them as well.

Blog Summary On Patch

Oconee Patch often runs a short version of postings from this site, with a link to the full post here.

This blog is otherwise independent of Oconee Patch.

Paul J. Deutschmann Award

The Association for Education in Journalism named me the 2013 recipient of the Paul J. Deutschmann Excellence in Research Award at the association's annual conference on Aug. 10, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

Outstanding Contributor Award

The Oconee County Democratic Committee honored me on June 20 as one of 15 individuals making a contribution to the quality of life in Oconee County.

Dan Matthews, chairman of the Committee, cited Oconee County Observations in making the award.

Others honored included potters Kathy and Jerry Chappelle, Courtney Gale from the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Peggy Holcomb, Oconee County director of tourism, Chuck Horton, former county commissioner, Melissa Steele, a local artist and blogger, andVinnie Williams, owner and publisher of The Oconee Enterprise.

The Committee also honored the Jeannette Rankin Foundation.

Doctor Honoris Causa

I was given the Doctor Honoris Causa by the Senate of the National School of Political Studies and Public Administration on Dec. 4, 2012, in Bucharest, Romania. The Athens Banner-Herald wrote a story about the award.